Latch handle



J. R. NEWCOMER, JR ET AL 2,861,859

No v. 25, 195

LATCH HANDLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 27, 1956 FIG.

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

L as

Z K. W

INVENTORS M 62% mm Nov. 25, 1958 J. R. NEWCOMER, JR, ETAL 2,861,859

LATCH HANDLE Filed Dec. 27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 8

IN V EN TORS United States Patent LATCH HANDLE Jacob R. Newcomer, Jr., Westwood, and Frank Wheeler, L1ttle Falls, N. J., assignors to Camloc Fastener Corporation, Paramus, N. J a corporation of New York Application December 27, 1956, Serial No. 630,738

8 Claims. (Cl. 312--320) This invention relates to latching elements and relates more particularly to an improvement in the latch for electronic devices described in the c'o-pendi'ng application Serial No. 526,046, now abandoned.

This application discloses a novel latching device to secure a drawer-like element or chassis within a housing having a shelf therefor and it also formed a rigid carrying handle for the chassis after the same had been removed from the housing for inspection, repair, or replacement.

In such apparatus one or more complementary plug and socket terminals are employed to connect electronic components with the electrical circuits of the system and these contacts must fit very tightly to avoid current losses. This requires considerable force to insert and remove the plug-in chassis unit because the plug has a plurality of contacts, and the latching device of said application discloses camming means associated with the carrying handle for easily accomplishing this insertion and removal.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved lever and carrying handle for plug-in chassis units wherein the hinged handle, which is locked to the chassis during carrying, cannot accidently become unlocked which might cause injury to the worker and certain damage to the delicate equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel lock or catch for the free end of a pivoted handle comprising dogging means for positively preventing unlocking action of said handle catch as long as the dogging element or catch retainer remains undisplaced.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a combined lever and carrying handle embodying the improved locking means of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper end of the handle, the handle catch and supporting bracket and showing the lock-securing means or catch retainer in disengaged position.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the pivot pin for the catch retainer.

Fig. 5 is a front elevationshowing a modified form of catch retainer.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a broken front elevation of the upper end of the bracket employing a slidable rather than pivoted catch retainer.

Fig. 8 is a broken vertical section through the bracket and showing the manner of restricting movement of the handle catch which in this instance is pivoted on the handle rather than slidably mounted thereon.

The embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration in the drawing includes a bracket 10 which is arranged to be mounted by means of screws orth'e like on the front wall of a removable box-like metalchas sis (not shown) and a forked keeper 11 which is secured below the bracket on the front of the frame or housing. The

2,861,859 Patented Nov. 25, 1958 ICC 2 bracket is formed at its lower end with a vertical slot 12 which receives the lower end of the combined lever and handle 13 and is mounted thereon on a pivot pin 14.

The lever is formed below the pivot with a generally C-shaped extension 15 having a front camming surface 16 and a rear camming surface 17. The keeper is formed with a vertical slot 20 which receives the lever extension and a pin 21 is engaged by the front concave camming surface 16 when the lever applies an engaging force to connect the plug-in terminals. The rear wall 22 of the slot is engaged by the rear convex camming surface 17 to disengage the connector terminals. All of the foregoing structure is disclosed in our co-pending application.

The locking means or handle catch comprises an inverted L-shaped member having a tubular vertical portion 24 which is carried in sliding relation at the upper end of the lever 13. A pin 25 carried by vertical portion 24 passes "through a slot 26 in the lever 13 and limits vertical movement of the catch. A spring 27 urges the handle catch upwardly. The catch further includes a bolt portion 28 having a notch 30 at its rear end and its nose is beveled as shown at 31, to facilitate its entry into an opening 32 of generally oval shape at the upper end of bracket 10.

Spring 27 urges the catch upwardly into engagement with a pin 33at the upper end of slot 32. When the handle is to be released the bolt portion may be depressed by the thumb of the user. ,Downward movement of the catch is limited, however, by a catch retainer comprising a lever 33 and a rotatable stud 40 'on which the lever is mounted and is keyed thereto. The lever may be stamped out from sheet metal and includes a channel shaped portion 36 at one. end thereof and two spaced cars 37 at its opposite end which are mounted on the bracket by means of the rotatable stud 40. l

One wall of the channel has a str'uck -i'n detent 41 which is received in a recess 42 to hold'the lever in closed position. The opposed sides of the channelare formed with struck-out portions or wings 43 forming handles to grasp the lever to swing it upwardly to the disengaged position of Fig. 2, and it mayffall downwardly to the position of Fig. 1 due to gravity. i

Rotatable stud 40, whiclr'is shown in detail in Fig. 4, has a round central portion and non-circular reduced terminal portions 33 which are received in similarly shaped openings 39 in cars 37 to cause the'pivot pin to rotate with the lever. Intermediate its ends the stud has a cutaway portion or slot extending substantially to the axis line of the pin. p p

When the lever is in the vertical position of Fig. 1 the slot 44 is also in a vertical position so that the full diameter thereof extends up and down. This prevents the handle catch from being depressed. When, however, the lever is swung upwardly to the position of Fig. 2 the fiat portion of the slot is in a horizontal position and the handle can be depressed to free the hook portion 30 of bolt 28 from 'pin 33. p

In the modified form of the invention shown inFigs. 5 and 6 the bolt portion 50 of the handle catch isjagain formed with hook portion 51 and the bracket 52 has an elongated opening '53 with pin 54 at its upper end.

The opening is long enough iii a vertical direction to permit the bolt portion of the handle catch to move downwardly to free the hook portion from the pin.

A catch retainer in the form of a bail 55 is made from a single length of wire and its meeting terminals 56 are received in a transverse opening 60 in bracket 52 to form a pivot mounting. At its upper end the bail is outwardly and then inwardly curved at 61 to form a g'enerally horizontal retainer. portion 62.

When the bail is in the catch retaining position of Figs. 5 and 6 it is said to be in closed position and when its upper end is swung'downwardly through an arc it is in open position. For the purpose of retaining it in closed position the front of the bracket in the area of opening 60 is formed withhu'mps or detents 64. Accordingly, wherithe bailis swung downwardly its lower meeting terminals 56 .must be sprung outwardly order to permit the side arms to pass the detents. Also the upper front wall of the bracket just below opening 53 may have upstanding detents 65 so the side arms must be flexed in the curved section 61 thereof to cause the retainer portion 62 to pass these detents. These detent means are alternative and either one or both may be employed.

, In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the bracket 70 has the elongated elliptical opening 71 and the hook pin 72 near its upper end. To catch retainer in this instance is a pin 73 having a section 74 at one end of reduced diameter and the pin is positioned in a cross bore having two sections 75 and 76 of different diameters suitable to receive the two diameter pin. A head 77 is secured at the larger end of the pin and a head 80 at its opposite end engages one end of a compression spring 81 which urges the larger diameter section of the pin into the catch retaining position of Fig. 7.

The handle or" lever 82 is provided at its upper end with a pivot pin 83 for mounting the handle catch 84 in a slot 85 and the upper and lower ends of the slot limit pivotal movement of the handle catch. The handle catch has a recess 86 forming a hook to engage hook pin 72.

When the handle is moved in the direction of the bracket the pin forming the catch retainer is at the same time depressed so as to present the smaller diameter pin section 74 to the catch retainer 84. When the parts are in the position of Fig. 8 the catch retainer is released and the larger diameter pin section limits downward movement of the handle catch.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

What we claim is:

1. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at its opposite end for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hookshaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a catch retainer restraining movement of the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer comprising a dogging member movably mounted on the bracket and having a portion in the bracket opening which in one extreme position of the dogging member retains the bolt in engagement with the pin and which, upon movement of the dogging mem- -ber to its other extreme position, frees the bolt for movement to disengage itself from the pin.

2. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at the oppositeend of the bracket for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch movably mounted at the free end of the, handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hook-shaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a catch retainer restraining movement of the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer comprising a rotatable stud passing through the bracket opening and having a notch therein, which, upon rotation of the stud, becomes aligned with the bolt and frees the same for movement to disengage itself from the pin, and a manipulating lever keyed to the stud to rotate the same to open position.

3. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at the opposite end of the bracket for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch movably mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hook-shaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a catch retainer restraining movement of the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer comprising a rotatable stud passing through the bracket opening and having a substantially centrally disposed notch therein, which, upon rotation of the stud, becomes aligned with the bolt and frees the same for movement to disengage itself from the pin, a manipulating lever keyed to the stud to rotate the same to open position, and spring urged locking means between the lever and the bracket to retain the lever in closed position.

4. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at its opposite end for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch slidably mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hookshaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a catch retainer restraining movement of the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer comprising a rotatable stud passing through the bracket opening and having a notch therein extending substantially to the axis line thereof, and which, upon rotation of the stud, becomes aligned with the bolt and frees the same for movement to disengage itself from the pin, a manipulating lever keyed to the stud to rotate the same to open position, and detent means between the lever and the bracket to retain the lever in close position.

5. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at its opposite end for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch movably mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hookshaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a bail-type catch retainer restraining movement ofthe bolt to unlocked position, said retainer being pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the bracket, the opposite end of the retainer being movable into the bracket opening and engaging the bolt but being movable out of said opening to free the bolt for movement to disengage itself from the pin, and a detent for holding the catch retainer in bolt-restraining position.

6. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at its opposite end for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch slidably mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hookshaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a bail-type catch retainer restraining movement of the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer being formed of spring wire and being of curved contour in side elevation and being pivotally mounted at its lower end on the bracket, the upper end of the retainer being movable into the bracket opening and engaging the bolt but being movable out of said opening to free the bolt for movement to disengage itself from the pin, and a hump on the bracket for holding the catch retainer in bolt-restraining position.

7. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at its opposite end for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch movably mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hookshaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a catch retainer restraining movement cf the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer comprising a member slidably mounted on the bracket and having a portion in the bracket opening which in one position of the member retains the bolt in engagement with the pin, the member having a cutaway portion which, when the slidable member is moved to another position, frees the bolt for movement to disengage itself from the pin.

8. In a handle structure, a bracket having an opening at one end thereof and provided with a fixed pin, a pivot at its opposite end for mounting one end of the handle, a handle catch movably mounted at the free end of the handle and provided with a rearwardly extending, hookshaped bolt which enters the opening and engages the fixed pin to lock the handle against rotation, and a catch retainer restraining movement of the bolt to unlocked position, said retainer comprising a retaining pin slidably mounted on the bracket and having a portion in the bracket opening which in one extreme position of the retaining pin retains the bolt in engagement with the fixed pin, said member also having a portion of reduced diameter which, upon movement of the retaining pin to its other extreme position frees the bolt for movement to disengage itself from the fixed pin, and a spring urging the retaining pin to the first extreme position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,609,268 Nye Sept. 12, 1952 

